


someone special, strings attached

by RaeDMagdon



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/F, Fingering, Fluff, Healthy Polyamory, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Oral, SPACE GIRLFRIENDS, a hint of jealousy, but no bullshit love triangles, melding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-18 04:25:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10609230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaeDMagdon/pseuds/RaeDMagdon
Summary: Vetra is falling in love with Ryder. Peebee is falling in love with Ryder. Ryder is an awkward gay mess in love with them both. What are Peebee and Vetra to do?





	

**Author's Note:**

> There should be more healthy depictions of polyamory out there. Yep.
> 
> Please follow my tumblr @raedmagodn for more ME:A stuff! I also do original fiction for queer women.

**I.**

**_Vetra_ **

It’s not that Vetra doesn’t like Peebee. Quite the opposite, in fact, even if Peebee does talk too much, and too loudly, and too carelessly.

Over the years, Vetra has become good at reading people. It’s a necessity, in her profession. As a kid watching out for her baby sister, she’d had to learn to tell if someone was on the up and up, with death as the consequence for being wrong. Peebee doesn’t raise any red flags. She’s harmless—well, at least until one of her Remnant experiments gains sentience and tries to destroy all of Andromeda.

Her laugh is annoying, but that’s forgivable. She makes crude sexual comments, usually at Ryder’s expense, but Vetra can’t really blame Peebee for that either. Ryder is pretty cute, even though Vetra doesn’t like to think about it. (She’s far from a stickler for rules, but she’s learned business and pleasure don’t usually mix.)

That’s something they have in common, at least. Peebee doesn’t seem to give a shit about rules. She just wants to discover new things. Vetra can respect that. Peebee’s reasons are better than Liam’s, the way he goes off half-cocked all the time.

So, despite a few bumps, Vetra does her best to bear with Peebee’s antics.  She’s got a mean biotic charge, and her tech is even more useful. Plus, Ryder likes her. That’s always a plus.

_ *** _

**_Peebee_ **

It’s not that Peebee doesn’t like Vetra. Quite the opposite, in fact, even if she doesn’t know how to take a joke and gets all serious over the stupidest shit.

Peebee has dealt with a lot of sticks in the mud over the years, and Vetra is far from the worst. She’s better than a matriarch, anyway, droning on and on until a person is liable to fall asleep from boredom. There’s more to Vetra than meets the eye—Peebee can just sense it lurking under that shiny grey carapace.

Sure, Vetra jumps down her throat sometimes… like the time she tried a little awkward Nomad bonding and ended up badmouthing her own older sister. In retrospect, she should have seen it coming. Vetra was an older sister herself and the parallels were obvious.

But that’s kind of her thing. She leaps without looking, and she talks without thinking.

She really should apologize, now that she thinks about it. What Vetra did, raising Sid all on her own? What she still does? It’s admirable. Annoying, from a younger sister’s perspective, but admirable. Maybe things would have worked out better for her if her older sister had been more like Vetra.

Plus, Ryder and Vetra get along like two pyjaks in a tree. Whoever Ryder likes, Peebee likes. (And she likes Ryder most of all.)

***

**_Ryder_ **

This is a complete fucking nightmare. She likes both Peebee and Vetra way, way too much.

Vetra is quiet and thoughtful. She’s as quick with a sarcastic remark as she is with her gun, but when the heat isn’t on, she retreats into herself. She sits quietly in her office, not bothering anyone, and yet… Ryder can’t help but feel drawn to her. The way Vetra smiles when she enters the room makes her want to smile back even bigger. Vetra reminds her of her dad in that way. Quiet, but tender with his feelings in the rare moments they show… showed… through.

And Peebee? No one else can make her laugh like Peebee. She’s unpredictable, but that’s part of her charm—there’s no telling what insane thing she’ll try next. It’s the thirst of discovery that drives her, the quest for the unknown. Ryder can relate to that so much. It’s the same love her father passed down to her.

Each time she checks on Vetra down by the Nomad, or Peebee by the escape pods, she walks away with a skip in her step. Each time, her heart flutters. And each time, she finds herself checking out Peebee’s ass, wondering how firm it is, or Vetra’s broad shoulders, wondering how strong they are.

Fucking shit. She can already tell this isn’t going to end well.

* * *

**II.**

**_Peebee_ **

In the spirit of cooperation, Peebee decides to extend the olive branch during their next drive in the Nomad.

“I think I need to apologize, Vetra,” she says after a deep breath, one that’s loud enough to have Ryder checking back over her shoulder.

Vetra looks at her curiously, mandibles quivering. “Now?”

Oh, great. Peebee knows that tone. It means someone’s annoyed with her. She’s heard it often enough. But she has to try, for the sake of the mission. She’s never been much of a rah-rah-team girl herself, but if Vetra’s gonna be watching her back in firefights, better not to have any lingering bad blood.

“Yeah. See? I had an older sister… five hundred years older.” Her nose wrinkles at the memory. “By the time I was self-aware, she was already a Matriarch. In other words, I had two mothers, and they tag-teamed, trying to raise me right.”

She waits, hoping for some kind of understanding, or at least acknowledgment. What she gets instead is an icy stare through Vetra’s visor. “Well, Sid and I had no parents, and someone had to be responsible.”

“I get it,” Peebee sighs. “That’s why I apologized.”

_ There. You can take it or leave it. _

Vetra turns away, gazing out the Nomad’s other window. “I doubt you do.”

_ I guess that means you’re leaving it. _

“Forget I said anything.”

She sits in silence for a while, staring at the back of Ryder’s head. Sometimes, she has the childish urge to tug on that soft-looking ponytail, just to feel what human hair is like. She’s touched hair before, once, on a male human who had it clipped really short. Kind of ticklish. She bets Ryder’s will be softer…

Ryder. Now, there’s a thought that always cheers her up. At least someone around her appreciates her jokes and listens to her talk about RemTech without drooling from the corner of their mouth.

***

**_Vetra_ **

“Don’t you think you were a little hard on Peebee earlier?”

Vetra looks up from the mostly-empty box of Blast-O’s she’s been scrabbling through with her claws.

“Not really.” She waits for Ryder to object, because of course she’s going to. That’s Ryder in a nutshell. All soft and squishy, just like her outsides.

(Those really, really attractive looking outsides).

“I’m not saying you didn’t have a reason to be upset. It’s just, she was trying to make peace, you know? I can tell she really likes you.”

That causes Vetra to snort. She sets the Blast-O’s aside. “Peebee? She sure didn’t seem to like me earlier. I’d say the only person she  _ really _ likes around here is you.”

“No, I’m serious,” Ryder insists. She leans her hip against the edge of Vetra’s desk, bracing a palm there as well. For some reason, Vetra is fascinated with the gap of soft-looking brown skin just beneath her sleeve. “She likes you. I’ve heard her say it herself. She thinks you’re cool.”

For some reason, that doesn’t make Vetra feel much better. “Well, you do talk a lot.”

(Is she jealous because Ryder spends quite a bit of time talking to Peebee instead of her? No. That’s stupid.)

“I’m not saying you have to be her new best friend,” Ryder continues. “She’d probably hate that anyway. But just… you could be a little nicer, you know? You’re a really sweet person, Vetra. At least, you always are to me.”

Vetra knows she should be thinking about Peebee, but instead, all she can hear in her head is the echo of the word ‘sweet’.

Ryder thinks she’s sweet? Really?

Well. That’s a descriptor no one’s ever given her before.

(She kind of likes it).

“I’ll talk to her. Or try to.”

***

**_Ryder_ **

The next time they’re driving around Eos in the Nomad, Ryder eavesdrops as Vetra attempts an apology, as promised.

“Um. Peebee?” Vetra clears her throat, and Ryder’s ears perk from the front seat. “Quid pro quo.”

It’s a start, Ryder supposes. A very vague start, but a start nonetheless.

Thankfully, Peebee’s big brain races to fill in the gaps, as always. “Yeah, sure. You’re sorry for jumping down my throat when I apologized for jumping down your throat. All good.”

Ryder expects that to be the end of it, but to her surprise, Vetra doesn’t seem satisfied with ‘all good’. Always a perfectionist, that one. When she tries something, she tries hard.

“The truth is… I really like you. We’ve got more in common than not.”

Now,  _ that _ is an interesting development. Ryder strays off the path, so engrossed is she in the conversation.

“Yeah? Like what?”

“You’re not a typical asari and you resent people who treat you like one. I’m not a typical turian and I resent people who treat me like one. You’re good in a fight and you have the guts to care about something… even if it is a bunch of ancient tech from Spirits knows where. That’s more than most people, you know?”

Peebee giggles. “You must not know a lot of people if those are your standards. Oh! Oh, right. Mercenaries. Yeah. I get where the low standards for friendship are coming from.”

Ryder waits for Vetra to take offense, but it doesn’t come. To her surprise, the turian actually laughs. “Right.”

There’s an awkward silence, until Peebee goes on, “I have to say… I like you too. You’re cool. I mean, for an uptight, overbearing older sister. Heh, kidding.”

“Thanks, Peebee.”

After that, the quiet is comfortable. Ryder feels like a knot in her chest has eased. She isn’t sure why it’s so important to her that Peebee and Vetra get along, but it is. Thankfully, they seem to be making progress. Now, if she could just stop drooling over them both like a varren, maybe they’ll actually manage to complete their next mission. Ugh. Why does she have to deal with  _ two _ crushes on top of the kett and every planet they land on trying to kill her?

* * *

 

**III.**

**_Vetra_ **

Things with Peebee are getting better.

Nomad drives with her aren’t so tedious anymore. When they talk, it’s actually kind of enjoyable—and though Peebee presses her buttons once in awhile, she’s quick to pull her fingers off them when the mood gets too tense. Maybe she isn’t as socially inept as Vetra first thought.

It helps that Peebee’s usually good for a story. Never about herself, of course. Except for the tidbit about her older sister, she’s tight-lipped about her past. But she’s also highly observant of the people around her. It’s come in useful, both as entertainment and on a few of her supply runs. A second pair of friendly eyes is always welcome… or, rather, a third pair.

Ryder. Things with Ryder are getting serious. Well, serious the way Vetra thinks of it. Even though she’s not experienced with romance, Vetra is definitely, one hundred percent sure that Ryder is flirting with her. “Who wouldn’t want a tall, spiky girlfriend?” she’d said on Aya. You can’t get much blunter than that.

But does she want to be Ryder’s girlfriend?

That’s a bit more complicated. They’re in a life or death struggle most days. Okay, every day. Worrying about Sid already keeps her up nights. Does she really want to add someone else to that one-person list? Because if she’s going to do this with Ryder, it’s going to be all the way. She doesn’t want to get a terminal case of feelings only for one of them to kick it the next day. With their jobs, that’s always a possibility.

Then there’s the fact that sometimes she freezes in combat. The pressure is overwhelming. Her gear is fast enough to save her, usually, but she nearly lost her shields last time, the same thing she always criticizes Liam for.

She has thinking to do. The situation with Peebee might be resolved for now, but the situation with Ryder isn’t.

***

**_Peebee_ **

Things with Vetra are getting better.

As they’ve grown more talkative on missions, Peebee has come to appreciate her more and more. Vetra might not have a loud sense of humor, but she definitely does have one. Compared to their other squadmates, she’s practically a comedian. One dry comment about her mother always looking like she was about to shit a tank nearly had Peebee in stitches.

But while the Vetra situation is improving—Vetra had actually asked her advice about Sid, of all things—the Ryder situation is improving even more. Or maybe it’s all falling apart. She usually can’t tell with these things. Her last relationship had been with an abusive crackpot, so she’s not a great judge.

What she does know is that Ryder likes her flirting. The blushing and grinning and the actual words, “I like it when you flirt”, are pretty damn obvious signals. So Ryder is picking up what she’s putting down. That’s good, right?

Normally, she would say yes, but there’s something about Ryder that puts her on edge. She can’t figure out what it is. It’s been gnawing at her for weeks now like a worm in her brain. A gross, brain-eating worm that won’t leave her alone and makes her want to crawl out of her skin sometimes because she hates not knowing things, especially about herself.

Eventually, she decides she’s overthinking this. Maybe after their next big mission, she’ll ask Ryder into the escape pod for a little Zero-G stress relief. Yeah. Scratching the Ryder itch might work. She can’t freak out so much over something she’s already had a taste of.

Who knows? Maybe when she’s done with Ryder, she’ll pass her along to Vetra. She’s seen the way Vetra looks at Ryder, trying to act like a matriarch who’s above it all, but definitely thinking like a maiden. The turian would be good for Ryder, too. Vetra’s the good sort of calm, not the boring kind. They’d make a cute couple.

(But if this does play out the way Peebee thinks it will, she’s getting a taste before Vetra calls dibs and it’s too late.)

***

**_Ryder_ **

This is a disaster. A gay disaster she’s walking straight into.

Ryder knows she has to do something soon. She needs to sit Peebee and Vetra down and explain what’s going on in her head, because it’s  _ definitely _ affecting her during missions.

It’s dishonest, leading them on in private. One or both of them will probably decide they don’t want to keep doing the kind-of-friendly/kind-of-flirty thing. She needs to nip this in the bud before it gets too serious. All three of them will have a laugh about it, and they can move on. Get back to being teammates. The relationship stuff will sort itself out in time, if it’s meant to be at all.

(Maybe, if she’s really lucky, one of them won’t mind about her crush on the other and decide she’s still worth dating. Her credits are on Peebee. She’s never seemed like the jealous type. Vetra, however… she isn’t sure Vetra will take it well.)

She might be making the wrong choice, going for blunt honesty. She isn’t sure which budding romance will work out, and she doesn’t want to cut off her options too soon. But she’s starting to feel guilty, and some part of her really, really wants to take a page from Jaal’s book.

The angara are always open with their emotions. She wants to be that way too. If Vetra and Peebee can’t handle that, and if the three of them can’t talk about it like reasonable adults, maybe whoever throws the tantrum is the wrong girl for her.

After this next mission, she tells herself. She’ll crack open a bottle of something from Vetra’s stash and tell them, “I think you’re both cute. That’s cool, right? No pressure, nothing serious, I just want to make sure the flirting’s still okay. Because… I like it when you both flirt. With me.”

She really needs to work on her explanations. And her flirting.

* * *

**IV.**

**_Vetra_ **

She watched Ryder die. It lingers with her days afterwards, creeping out of dark corners.

One minute, she’s calling a contact on the Nexus, discussing shipment times. The next, she’s shaking the memories off, trying not to think of what it had looked like to watch Ryder collapse to the floor like that, so, so still…

Vetra’s no stranger to death. She doesn’t like to think about how young she was when she made her first kill. But watching Ryder go limp, waiting a breathless thirty seconds in midair for her to get up? It reminds her of her nightmares about losing Sid. It’s the same punch to the gut. Only this time, it really happened. She doesn’t wake up gasping.

(Maybe her feelings for Ryder are stronger than just an attraction she can ignore).

***

**_Peebee_ **

She watched Ryder die. For once, she can’t find a way to joke this off.

It was horrible. The way Ryder had fallen, blood leaking from her nose. The seconds passing by like thundering heartbeats. Heartbeats Ryder didn’t have. SAM’S mechanical voice: “Starting cardiac compression.”

Shit. She’s not used to actually caring about people.

What can you say after that?

“Sorry you almost stayed dead?”

“Thanks for killing yourself to save us?”

“Watching you die made me feel like my chest was cracked and empty?”

There’s nothing to say. So for once, she doesn’t.

(She wonders if Vetra feels the same way).

***

**_Ryder_ **

Literally dying can put things in perspective.

Her problems with Peebee and Vetra suddenly don’t seem so scary. There’s the weight of a new galaxy on her shoulders, and she’s well aware that her days could be numbered in pursuit of saving it.

(Both of them have wavered between moments of sharp concern for her, and drifting away into a space of less intimacy).

Maybe the time to go for the things she wants is now, before it’s too late.

Even if nothing comes of it, that’s okay. She just wants them to know how she feels, before the chance is taken from her. For real this time.

* * *

**V.**

**_Vetra_ **

She tells Ryder about the stupid lamp.

It’s a boring, trivial part of her old life. With all the big goings-on around them, the shaping of a new galaxy and the fight for survival, a lamp shaped like a naked asari holding a moon shouldn’t matter.

But it does matter, because it’s left a mark on her. She wants Ryder to see her, marks and all.

(Dialing back her feelings since Ryder’s ‘death’ hasn’t worked. She’s tried, and failed.)

And what does Ryder say, after all that? After dying and the lamp?

“I think my dream is finding someone special to explore the galaxy with.”

Vetra is stunned. There’s no other way to interpret that statement. Ryder thinks she’s someone special. Ryder wants her. But there’s still…

Peebee.

Honestly, Vetra had been half-convinced Ryder and Peebee would become a couple instead. She knows she’s quiet, reserved, and Peebee… well, Peebee isn’t. While she’s been bottling up her feelings, Peebee’s probably been making moves.

Vetra isn’t stupid. She has eyes. She sees the way Ryder and Peebee look at each other. She doesn’t blame Peebee for it, of course, but she can’t deny it stings a bit.

And yet? Ryder has chosen her.

Her chest fills with a surprising warmth.

“Oh? Oh… and have you found that person?”

Ryder folds her arm across her chest, trying to look casual. “I’m pretty sure I have. You’ll love her. She’s tall, great with guns… great at getting people to do what she wants.”

Vetra chuckles. Maybe adding someone to her one-person give-a-shit list is worth something after all.

***

**_Peebee_ **

Of course, Kalinda has to ruin everything. Nosey eyes, sticky fingers, creeping around in her room.

(Fingers creeping down her spine. Her skin is skittering.)

Ugh. It’s disgusting. In addition to watching Ryder  _ die _ in front of her, she has to deal with this. No matter how far and fast she runs, something bad always catches up.

She doesn’t like people knowing where she is, where her stuff is, what she’s doing. Even Ryder’s presence in her small space feels intrusive—but that isn’t Ryder’s fault. As Peebee paces, she tries to think of the best way to ask Ryder to leave without hurting her feelings.

“You’ve gotta relax,” Ryder tells her with a disarming smile. “You’re starting to stress  _ me _ out.”

“I’d like to. I need to, yes.” Her shoulders sag. She can’t get fucking Kalinda out of her head. “When I felt like this back home, I’d look for a zero G chamber, or at least an isolation tank. Someplace to just drift away. I could really use that now…”

And that was how they’d ended up floating in the escape pod, with nothing to tether either of them down anymore.

It’s like night and day. Suddenly, her muscles are loose and her heart is beating slower. Ryder doesn’t feel like an intruder anymore. In fact…

Maybe this is what she needs right now. Just to float free while Ryder’s hands roam her body and she discovers more about what human hair feels like when she pulls it. (That’s one thing she wouldn’t mind hanging onto).

“Ryder… there’s something else that would relax me.”

“What’s that?”

Oh, no. Ryder can’t really be this dense, can she? It has to be teasing.

Peebee laughs. Her problems suddenly seem very far away. “That’s the spirit. Wanna… fool around?”

(She thinks of Vetra, suddenly. Thinks of the way the turian always looks at Ryder with stars in her eyes.)

For a moment, she wonders if her question was selfish. But then she reminds herself: this is just for now. She can pass Ryder over to Vetra with her full support once she’s had a taste. They’ll be good for each other.

“Doesn’t matter if you have something else going on. I can be utterly discreet. Just fun. Two people blowing off steam. No strings attached.  _ Only _ if there’s no strings.”

But then, Ryder surprises her.

“I’m into you, Peebee. I’d want it to mean something.”

Oh, shit.

(She doesn’t want to consider the fact that maybe, just maybe, she’s into Ryder too, for reasons beyond sex).

***

**_Ryder_ **

Well, she’s done it. She’s told Vetra and Peebee about her feelings. She just hasn’t told them about each other… yet.

She doesn’t know what she expects to happen. (Damn it, if only she wasn’t such a coward!) She doesn’t want to be selfish. She doesn’t want to be manipulative. It’s just that she can’t tell her heart what to feel. And damn, does it feel. It feels every time she looks up into Vetra’s eyes, every time she hears Peebee laugh.

If she picks Vetra, she loses. If she picks Peebee, she loses. If she doesn’t pick, she loses.

She doesn’t want to lose either of them as friends. She wishes both of them could be something more.

(They’re definitely going to think she’s an asshole when she tells them. And she has to tell them. Recently, this has escalated beyond harmless flirting and into something serious. Something with the potential to grow deep and exclusive.)

Only she wants to be exclusive with both of them. Sort of.

And so, one day, she finds them both in the galley and says, “There’s something I have to tell you.”

* * *

**VI.**

**_Ryder_ **

“I just want to tell you both, before we go any further… I’m catching feelings. For both of you. At the same time. And I don’t really know what to do about that, so I’m open for suggestions.”

There are no suggestions. Peebee and Vetra are utterly silent for a long moment.

A bit of the light goes out of Vetra’s eyes, and Peebee’s pouting lips turn down in a frown that, for once, isn’t cute.

“Hey, it’s cool, Ryder,” Peebee says, but Ryder can tell her laugh is forced. “I get it. Never was the type to be tied down myself. Exploration and options, right?”

Vetra’s more closed off in her response. “Oh… Thanks for telling me. I… I guess I have some things to think about.”

She starts to leave, but Ryder holds out a hand to stop her.

“Wait. I understand if you don’t want to flirt with me anymore, or… or anything else. But I want you both to know I meant what I said. Vetra, you’re someone special. And Peebee, you deserve strings. Really, you’re both too good for me.”

But Vetra leaves anyway.

“She’ll get over it, Ryder,” Peebee says soon after. “Don’t worry, I will too. We all will.”

Ryder is left alone. She doesn’t think she’ll be getting over anything anytime soon. This was a big mistake.

***

**_Vetra_ **

So. So Ryder hasn’t picked her after all. So she’s an idiot.

It’s her own fault, she supposes. She shouldn’t have taken their flirting so seriously. But when Ryder had said, “I’m looking for someone special,” she’d believed it. Damn it, she’d believed it.

At least Ryder was honest. “I just want to tell you both, before we go any further… I’m catching feelings. For both of you. At the same time. And I don’t really know what to do about that, so I’m open for suggestions.”

She’s honest. Vetra has to give her points for that. Ryder could have been fucking Peebee behind her back while enjoying the slowburn with her. But it’s still a painful blow.

All her life, she’s put Sid first. Ryder had made her hope that maybe, just maybe, someone else would put  _ her _ first for a change. Someone special.

But no. Peebee is Ryder’s someone special. Or they both are. Or neither of them is. Vetra honestly isn’t sure anymore. She isn’t sure about anything.

She hadn’t known what to say. She’d just mumbled something like, “Thanks for telling me. I… I guess I have some things to think about.” And she’d left.

Ryder’s voice, what she’d said, follows her back to her room.

_ “I understand if you don’t want to flirt with me anymore, or… or anything else. But I want you both to know I meant what I said. Vetra, you’re someone special. And Peebee, you deserve strings. Really, you’re both too good for me.” _

Vetra sighs. She’s not the type to cry, but her heart definitely feels heavy.

***

**_Peebee_ **

So. Ryder has a pretty interesting definition of ‘strings’, if she’d even meant it in the first place.

Peebee doesn’t know why she’s jealous. She’s never been before. Even she and Kalinda, her last ‘serious’ (by her standards) relationship, hadn’t been exclusive.

She’d even seen this coming from the start. Ryder would fuck her, then settle down with Vetra. Do the whole ‘new life, new start’ thing Vetra’s always talking about.

But when Ryder had said strings, Peebee had hoped…

Well, she doesn’t know what she hoped. But it feels like something’s been taken from her.

(How is that possible, when Ryder doesn’t ‘belong’ to her? She doesn’t think people should belong to other people. That was how Kalinda had acted.)

But she’s not going to blame Vetra for that. Vetra is cool. She’s the one who told the rest of the team to back off about Kalinda’s bullshit. She’s the one who laughs at her jokes the most, other than Ryder.

_ Damn _ it, Ryder. Vetra was becoming her friend, at least for her stint on the Tempest. Not only has Ryder curdled this thing between them that should have been so simple by making it stupid complicated, she’s also made things with Vetra weird.

They need to talk.

* * *

**VII.**

**_Vetra_ **

Peebee doesn’t usually come down to her ‘office’.

They’re friends, sure, but they don’t usually hang out. Not many people on the Tempest do—mostly because they can’t. There’s too much work to be done. It’s wave hi, grab a protein bar, maybe crack a joke, and go.

So when Peebee actually seeks her out, Vetra knows she’s there to talk.

She grits her teeth and decides to bear it. Whatever Peebee has to say, she’ll find a way to say it at some point. Might as well listen and get it over with. “Hey, Peebee.”

But Peebee surprises her. “Vetra? I think you should date Ryder.”

It’s such a surprising statement that Vetra has to do a double take. “What?”

“I think you should date Ryder. I’ve been thinking, and... you two would be good together. And I don’t really like how flirting with her makes me feel anymore. So, yeah. She’s yours. Don’t be too hard on her for flirting with me too, I started it.”

For a split second, Vetra’s heart leaps at the offer. But, no. She knows when someone’s lying, and Peebee is  _ definitely _ lying. It’s all in the eyes. They’re darting around, unsure where to focus.

“What do you mean, you don’t like how flirting with her makes you feel?”

Peebee squirms at the question. “I don’t know. I just… don’t like it. She’s getting too serious. I just wanted to fool around, but she’s talking  _ feelings _ and stuff.”

“Then maybe you should date her,” Vetra says. It hurts to even say those words, but part of her knows she has to. She likes Peebee, she really does, and even though she’s not very experienced with romance, she knows feelings when she sees them. Even on someone like Peebee, who runs as far and fast from feelings as possible.

_ And I know Ryder likes her. It’s obvious. I saw it before, I just didn’t want to think about it. _

“What? Me? No. No way. I’m… I’m not the dating type, Vetra. Ryder wants strings.  _ You’re _ the girl that can give her strings.”

Vetra sighs. “And you’re her someone special, Peebee.”

There is an awkward pause.

“Do you really think she meant it?” Peebee asks at last, in a much softer voice. “About having feelings for both of us?”

Vetra closes her eyes. She has never known Ryder to lie. Even though it would be easier to hate Ryder, to believe Ryder was leading her on, she knows better. Ryder does have genuine feelings for her… she just has them for Peebee as well. That’s what makes this so hard.

“Yes. I think she meant it.”

“So… revolutionary concept. Instead of neither of us dating her, what if we  _ both _ date her?”

That suggestion causes Vetra’s eyes to snap open. “Wait, what?”

Peebee is grinning again. “What if we both date her? I mean… why not? We both date her, see where it goes. If one relationship doesn’t work out, no hard feelings. No competition, either. We support each other, because we’re friends.”

Vetra opens her mouth to protest. Sure, some turians do the whole open relationship thing, but she’s never considered herself the type for all that. She can’t even maintain one monogamous relationship.

But instead what comes out of her mouth is, “What if I get jealous?”

“I dunno.” Peebee shrugs. “You talk to Ryder about it and figure out why? Isn’t that what people in relationships do? Talk?”

“What about…” Vetra gestures between the two of them. “… us? Does this mean we have to date too?”

Peebee smirks. “Do you  _ want _ to?”

Vetra clears her throat awkwardly. “Um. As cute as you are, I don’t even know if I want to date Ryder yet. And you’re a bit…”

“Talkative? Bouncy? Energetic? Yeah, I know. But I have a great ass.”

She does, Vetra thinks. And it’s not like she hasn’t caught herself staring at the exposed skin of Peebee’s midriff, but she’d never thought much of it. She’s always liked asari, even slept with a few, back in the Milky Way…

But that is  _ way _ too much to think about right now. She puts the thought in a box in the back of her mind, locks it, and throws away the key.

“I’ll think about it,” she says instead.

“Dating Ryder, or dating me?”

“Ryder.”

“Okay. So… still friends? Just so you know, you’re my favorite. If you and Ryder break up, I’m taking your side.”

Vetra chuckles. “Okay. I suppose I did come to Andromeda to try new things…”

“That’s the spirit!”

Peebee leans in for a hug, which is an utter shock. After a moment to process what’s happening, Vetra accepts it. Peebee definitely isn’t the touchy feely type, so she knows this much be special.

She’s really lucky, she thinks, as Peebee leaves the room. No matter how things go with Ryder, at least she has a friend.

***

**_Peebee_ **

Peebee has just hit the sweet spot on a Nullifier’s shield when it happens.

While her target goes up in flames, a nearby Obliterator fires. Peebee dodges, but it wasn’t aiming for her. A few yards away, Vetra cries out. She ducks behind a column, but doesn’t pop out to return fire like usual, and Peebee can hear her hiss of pain over the comm.

Without thinking, Peebee leaps into action. Nobody hurts Vetra. Ever.

She sends Poc at the Obliterator first as a distraction, then gathers her energy for a charge. When she hits, it explodes in a shower of blue and yellow.

She recovers quickly, but there are no Remnants left. They’re alone among Eladaan’s sand dunes, with only the tower of the monolith sticking up out of the endless golden sea.

Vetra comes out from cover. Peebee isn’t sure—the heat could be playing tricks on her—but she thinks the turian might be shaking.

“Vetra!” Ryder rushes over, grasping one of her arms. “Are you all right?”

Peebee waits, expecting a pang of jealousy, but it doesn’t come. She’s glad Vetra’s all right, too.

“I’m fine.” Vetra shrugs Ryder’s hand off, but not unkindly. “Don’t worry. My shields and suit took most of it.”

“Most of it,” Ryder says. “Not all of it. Let’s head back to the Tempest, okay? We should get you checked out.”

To Peebee’s surprise, Vetra doesn’t object. The three of them return to the Nomad in silence.

It’s in that silence, as they’re driving back to the nearest forward station, that Peebee finds her voice again. “Vetra, you okay? That last fight, you were…”

Vetra looks at her with dark, unsettling eyes. “You ever get that feeling like you’re watching yourself from afar? And you see everything around you? For a moment there, I saw. I saw where I was, who we were fighting, and I just… I don’t wanna talk about it. It won’t happen again.”

The quiet settles in again.

“Peebee?”

“Huh?”

“Thanks. For having my back.”

Peebee smiles. “You got it, Vee.”

“Vee.” Vetra snorts. “Is that my nickname now?”

“Hey,” Peebee says, “I like nicknames. In case you couldn’t tell.”

“What is your full name, anyway?”

Oh, great.  _ That _ question. At least it means Vetra isn’t thinking about the fight.

“Peanut Butter. That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it.”

She’s rewarded with a soft laugh. That’s something, at least.

***

**_Ryder_ **

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Ryder asks. She’s repeated the question over and over, but she just can’t help herself. Watching Vetra getting shot like that had been… well, it makes her feel guilty for dying in front of Vetra and Peebee back on the Archon’s ship, even if SAM had brought her back afterwards.

“She’s fine, Ryder,” Lexi says from the other side of the room. She’s got her face buried in a datapad—probably Vetra’s vitals—but her voice is reassuring. “All patched up. She has nothing to worry about.”

_ Yeah… but I do. _

“So, Doc, I’m free to go back to my duties?”

Lexi raises her head and smiles. “All clear, Miss Nyx. But do try not to take any more shots to your arm. You need both.”

Vetra heads out of the medbay while Ryder remains sitting next to the abandoned cot, wondering if it’s okay for her to follow. She and Vetra haven’t talked much since the awkward conversation in the galley, and she doesn’t know if the turian will appreciate her company.

But even as her heart is sinking, Vetra turns around in the doorway. “Coming, Ryder?”

The way Vetra says her name is friendly. It’s clearly an invitation. Ryder feels as if the sun has risen again. She hops up and trails after Vetra to her room, hoping that this means they’re ready to talk.

“Peebee and I have been chatting about you,” Vetra says once they’re in private.

Ryder bites her lower lip. “You have, huh? About what an asshole I am?”

“Not really,” Vetra says. “Trust me, I’ve met plenty of assholes, Ryder. You’re not one of them.”

Ryder feels as if she should protest. “But I flirted with you both. And I can’t decide who I should be with. And maybe it shouldn’t even be my decision. I feel conceited and stuck-up just thinking about ‘picking’ somebody. I…” She hangs her head. “I didn’t mean to grow such strong feelings for both of you. It just happened.”

To her surprise, Vetra places a hand on her shoulder. She looks up, noticing that behind Vetra’s visor, the turian’s eyes seem almost… amused?

“I can’t make promises,” Vetra says, “no matter how much I’d like to. But I believe you when I say that your feelings for me are real. And I believe your feelings for Peebee are real. So, if we can take this really, really,  _ really _ slow, maybe I can try something with you. See what happens.”

Ryder has to replay the words several times in her head before they make sense.  _ ‘See what happens.’ _ Does that mean… ?

“Yes! I mean… yes, but what about Peebee?”

Vetra smirks. “Don’t worry about Peebee. She said I should ask you out. She’s probably going to ask you out too, once she finishes fooling around with whatever her latest secret project is.”

“…. Wait. You’re both asking me out? At the same time? And you’re… okay with this?”

“I don’t know yet, Ryder, but I think it’s worth finding out. I think you’re worth finding out for.”

“Okay.” She can’t think of anything else to say, but her grin is stretching all the way across her face. “Okay.”

* * *

**VIII.**

**_Peebee_ **

Well, Ryder’s officially dealt with Kalinda for her.

Peebee’s never been the ‘let your current squeeze trash your ex’ type, but she has to admit, it feels kind of satisfying. Not only did she get to take Kalinda down a few pegs (and punch her right in her stupid face), Ryder was right by her side the entire time.

So was Vetra, come to think of it. And even though she and Ryder are dating now—Peebee knows because Vetra told her, and she’s grateful—the two of them had been focused on her for the entire mission.

They had… taken care of her. Made sure she was okay. Even after she launched them both into an active volcano without warning them first.

(It makes her wonder if Vetra might be as disinterested in her as she pretends).

But before she can broach  _ that _ subject, she needs to talk to Ryder. Vetra or no Vetra, she has some things she needs to get off her chest. Things she should have said a while ago, even though they scared her. Still do.

That’s why she leaves the recording in Poc. It’s easier that way, confessing all the mushy stuff without looking at Ryder’s face while she does it. And so she waits above the bridge, pacing and pacing in circles, until the first few crewmembers wander up to join her.

Oh, yeah. She’s invited everyone else, too, not just Ryder. Vetra included. The turian smiles at her, a little cautious, and perhaps even concerned. It makes Peebee wonder whether Vetra has started to include her on her very short ‘give a shit’ list, even if it’s only a scribble in the margins.

And then Ryder arrives. That walk. That smile. That perfect ass.

Peebee can’t help trembling. Her motor goes into overdrive.

She spills her guts. This crew has become her family. For the first time in her life, she doesn’t want to run away—she wants to run toward something. And all the while, she addresses her words to Ryder, hoping she’ll understand.

_ It’s you. I don’t want to run away from you anymore. _

Drack rumbles something about it being about time she caught up. The rest of the crew seems accepting, but nonplussed. It’s like they’ve come to this realization well before she has. But that doesn’t matter, because Ryder is smiling, and even Vetra’s got a little grin.

And as they make their excuses for leaving—“Gotta make ice”, “It’s an angaran Holiday,”—until only Ryder remains, Peebee feels her heartbeat drum faster. This is it. She can already tell from Ryder’s face what she’s going to say, but still…

“I want to be with you, Peebee. Strings and all. Because you’re you.”

She can’t help herself. She rushes into Ryder’s arms, tackling to the floor while planting a wet kiss right on her lips. It’s their first kiss, and it’s a total mess, but she doesn’t care. It’s perfect.

After she catches her breath (and climbs off Ryder before she gets truly crushed), she notices Vetra lingering by one of the doors. Peebee blinks in surprise. Is that… approval on Vetra’s face? Maybe? Hard to tell with turians. If it is, she’s lucked out twice today, big time.

With a small nod, Vetra leaves them to their moment. Peebee turns back to Ryder, who’s still picking herself up off the floor. She’s going to have to figure out a way to make this up to Vetra later, but first…

***

**_Vetra_ **

Watching Ryder kiss Peebee hadn’t hurt as much as she feared.

It had been… strange. She’d felt a flicker of jealousy, maybe, but mostly she’d been… pleased? For them?

Peebee had looked so relaxed (and even though she jokes around all the time, Vetra knows she’s usually ready to bolt at the first sign of affection).

Ryder had looked so happy (and Vetra wants nothing more than for Ryder to be happy, no matter what that entails).

So… maybe this won’t be so bad. Maybe. She’ll take it slow, see if her feelings change.

An hour later, Peebee drops by her office. She skips in without knocking (of course), and Vetra looks up from her work.

“Hey, Vee.”

“Hey, Peanut Butter.”

“So, I’ve been thinking about your first kiss.”

Vetra chuckles. “My first kiss? You’re several hundred years too late for that. Even mercs get dates sometimes.”

“With  _ Ryder, _ Vee. You haven’t kissed her yet, right?”

Vetra sighs. It’s no use lying to Peebee or ignoring the question. She’ll keep asking until she’s satisfied. “No, for your information, we haven’t.”

“Okay, good. Because I know this really pretty mountain on Kadara.”

Vetra takes a beat to process that suggestion. “… You want me to kiss Ryder? On top of a mountain?”

“Yeah! You’re into that romantic stuff, right? You need to teach me sometime, because I’m crap at it.”

Vetra isn’t so sure that’s true. Peebee’s idea is actually sweet, in a weird way. It almost feels like something Vetra might have thought up herself. Peebee is getting to know her pretty well. “Okay. Send me the coordinates. But why are you doing this?”

Peebee just grins. “Hey, if we’re gonna try this three-way dating thing, we should go all in. Help each other. We’re friends, right? And we want Ryder to be happy?”

“You’ve got a point, Peanut Butter.”

“You’ve got more points than me,” Peebee teases. “Just don’t poke Ryder too much. I don’t wanna date a pincushion.”

Vetra shakes her head. “You know that’s not how it works.”

To her surprise, Peebee gives her a hooded look. The dark markings around her eyes only serve to make them look even more intense. “Oh, really? Then how  _ does _ it work, Vetra?”

“Seriously? You’ve never been with a turian?”

“I dunno. Once?” Peebee shrugs her shoulders. “He was kind of an asshole though, we didn’t get past second base. What about you? Ever been with an asari?”

Vetra smirks. “A few. It was… an experience. Kind of squishy, though. Like humans.”

“Well well well, aren’t you the interspecies connoisseur. I thought most turians stuck to their own kind.”

From her grin, Vetra can tell Peebee doesn’t mean it as an insult. “I’m as much like most turians as you are like most asari. So, not even remotely.”

“Hey, different is good. More to… figure out.”

(Peebee stares at her, and for a moment, Vetra forgets how to breathe.)

“Later, Vee. I’ll send you those coordinates.”

When she leaves, Vetra remains standing for a long time, staring at the door. Was that… flirting? And if Peebee has started flirting with her, what does that mean?

Her omnitool buzzes with the coordinates Peebee promised. She shakes her head to clear it. First, Ryder. They’re going to have one hell of a first kiss.

***

**_Ryder_ **

She and Vetra kiss under the hot Kadaran sun, wrapped in the cool mountain breeze. Ryder forgets the ache in her muscles and even the weight of the galaxy, because Vetra… Vetra is her refuge.

It’s not the same as kissing another human, or even Peebee. Vetra doesn’t have lips. But they manage, and oh God, Vetra’s tongue has this delightful sort of rasp to it that sends shudders down Ryder’s spine.

They kiss without rushing. There’s no end goal—just enjoying this, enjoying each other.

“You know who you have to thank for this?” Vetra asks after a little while.

“Besides all my lucky stars?”

“Peebee. She told me about this spot. Thought it would be romantic.”

Ryder is surprised. Her heart fills with warmth—for both of her… are they girlfriends? She hopes they’re her girlfriends now, officially. Some part of her knows they are, because they’ve told her, but it still feels like a dream, like it’s too good to be true. Like she’s getting more than she deserves.

“She was right. It is romantic.”

Vetra kisses her again.

Very,  _ very  _ romantic.

* * *

**IX.**

**_Vetra_ **

The past few weeks have gone smoother than expected.

Sometimes, she sees Peebee grope Ryder’s ass when they pass each other in the lift, and it makes her chuckle. She can’t really blame Peebee for stealing a squeeze. Ryder does have a fantastic ass.

Sometimes, she sees Ryder whisper something into Peebee’s ear—sometimes sexual (because Peebee gets an absolutely wicked look on her face), and sometimes sweet (because Peebee stammers and doesn’t know what to say despite her motor mouth).

That doesn’t bother her either. It’s cute. She  _ likes _ Peebee, and she’s falling in love with Ryder, and watching their romance blossom is actually sickeningly adorable.

She didn’t expect it to go this well. Sure, sometimes she’s jealous, but when that happens, all she has to do is go seek out Ryder. Then Ryder looks at her with those eyes, with that smile of pure joy on her face, and Vetra knows all of Ryder’s attention and heart are focused on her, at least for the moment. She has no idea how Ryder can make her feel like the only person in the universe even while she’s dating Peebee at the same time, but she’s grateful.

Love is endlessly surprising.

But there is one problem.

The sex thing. She  _ wants _ to have sex with Ryder. Soon. Their search for Meridian is getting more serious, and even though she doesn’t like thinking about it, Vetra knows that out in the field, anything can happen. It’s a morbid thought, but she doesn’t want to die, or watch Ryder die (which is far more likely), without taking that final step.

Plus, on top of that, she thinks they’re ready. There have been more dates. More kisses. Sometime Peebee even catches them and pulls a face. She’s falling, hard, and…

…and she doesn’t want to steal Peebee’s thunder. She knows Peebee has a hard time trusting. She’s only just started to open up, to trust people, to realize that friends and lovers are good things to have instead of baggage. Vetra doesn’t want to accidentally push Peebee’s relationship with Ryder back to advance her own.

It seems stupid if she thinks about it for too long, considering whether or not to ask Peebee for permission to sleep with Ryder, but… it also feels necessary?

Shit. Maybe she should take a page from Peebee’s book and leap without thinking about it so much.

*******

**_Peebee_ **

“Why are you even asking me whether you can have sex with Ryder? Is it because you want me to join in or something?”

Peebee waits for Vetra to recoil, or maybe laugh the statement off with that dry chuckle of hers—but the reaction she gets is totally different.

“Oh? Oh. I didn’t… I didn’t think of that.”

With how surprised Vetra’s eyes are and the way her mandibles are trembling, Peebee almost thinks she’s blushing under her carapace. If turians could blush, that is. It’s actually cute. Really, really cute.

“Well, I’m fine with you having sex with Ryder,” Peebee says. “About time, honestly.”

“What about you?” Vetra asks. “I thought you’d be quicker to… don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging you…”

“Yeah, well.” Peebee shrugs. “I want it to mean something. It usually doesn’t with me. But I came to Andromeda to try new things, right? So I’m trying feelings.”

“For Ryder,” Vetra says, almost as if she’s clarifying she’s unsure about.

“Yeah, for Ryder…” Peebee’s brow furrows. It almost feels like she’s missing something…

No. No way. That can’t be it. Vetra doesn’t… But her mind races through other explanations, and instantly dismisses all of them.

“Wait. Vetra, do you have a crush on me too?”

“Wow,” Vetra says. “You called me Vetra. That must be serious.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Vetra looks away, focusing on a spot on the wall.

Peebee takes a risk. “Vee?” she whispers, reaching up to touch the side of Vetra’s face. Half of her expects Vetra to jerk away, but the turian just turns back, looking down at her. “Vee… I really like you. I think you’re the coolest person on this ship. And you’ve always had my back like no one else. You were there for me with Kalinda and… everything. And this thing with Ryder we have going? You were really open and kind about it instead of being selfish and keeping her for yourself. You cared about my feelings. So, I don’t know when this happened. Maybe I was thinking about Ryder and saving the galaxy and stuff too much to notice, but… hey. If you wanted to make out sometime, I’d be cool with it.”

Vetra sucks in a breath. She seems almost nervous. “Is that your idea of romance, Peebee? ‘If you wanted to make out sometime…’”

“Hey, I’m new at this,” Peebee protests. Her own face is heating up. “Ryder’s easy. A rookie could flirt with her. But you… you always seem above all that.”

To her relief, Vetra laughs. “Trust me, I’m not. So… now?”

“Now?” Peebee stammers. “You want to make out now?”

“One kiss,” Vetra says. “To see if we like it, or if it’s too weird. That way we’ll know.”

One kiss? She can do that with her eyes closed (literally).

“Okay.”

Peebee doesn’t know what to do at first. Vetra doesn’t have lips. But she presses hers to Vetra’s beak, softly, and somehow they figure it out. Peebee waits a breath, still half-expecting Vetra to pull away (like everyone but Ryder eventually does), but it doesn’t happen. One of Vetra’s hands touches lightly at her waist. Peebee stands in tiptoe to reach better.

The kiss lasts a long, long time. Peebee’s body is flushed with warmth. With Vetra’s arm wrapped around her side, she feels… safe. Secure. It’s a very new feeling, one she’s only recently discovered with Ryder. And now? Feeling it with two different people? It’s like her entire worldview has changed.

They break apart, but not before their tongues brush gently against each other.

“We should tell Ryder about this,” Vetra breathes, still close to her mouth.

“She’ll be fine with it,” Peebee says. “But… we could always show her instead.”

She thinks she can feel Vetra shiver.

“We could. Maybe dinner one night. The three of us. I’ll cook. No plans or expectations. Just… talk about it and see what happens.”

Peebee grins. “You? Cook? This I have to see.”

***

**_Ryder_ **

Ryder has  _ no _ idea how she got here, with Vetra’s talons curling inside her and Peebee’s arms wrapped around her from behind, as the two of them kiss over her shoulder.

Well, she has some idea.

It involved Vetra burning a steak.

It involved Peebee suggesting alcohol to wash out the awful taste of said steak.

It involved talking, and talking, and more talking, and eventually, her staring slack-jawed while Peebee and Vetra kissed.

They had turned to her with identical smirks on their faces. Kind of like the smirks they’re wearing now as she falls apart between them.

“What did I do to deserve this?” she sighs, leaning her head back against Peebee’s shoulder while Vetra’s rough tongue licks a trail up her neck. Her talons are so  _ long.  _ Ryder’s never felt anything so deep.

Peebee kisses behind her other ear, sliding a hand down her twitching stomach to find her clit. “You were you, Ryder. That’s enough.”

Later, after she’s come several times, she lays on the bed covered in sweat while the two of them keep going.

She wants to help. She really does. But she’s so happy and sated that the sight of Peebee’s head moving between Vetra’s legs, nuzzling to find the soft purple parts between her plates isn’t enough to…

Okay. Maybe it is enough. After taking a swig of water from the bottle on the nightstand, she crawls behind Peebee, squeezing the firm cheeks of her ass. God, her azure is dripping. It would be so easy to slip inside…

Peebee moans from between Vetra’s legs and starts rocking back into her hand. Ryder smirks. This is going to be a long night.

* * *

 

**X.**

**_Peebee_ **

She’s never melded before.

In all her previous sexual encounters, it’s been about getting off. No feelings, no strings. She just scratches the surface, always holding back, concerned with her own pleasure and nothing else.

This time, it’s different. There are strings: lots and lots of strings. And there are feelings: lots and lots of feelings.

On her right is Ryder, fingers moving gently inside her, hot mouth wrapped around the peak of her breast.

On her left is Vetra, teasing her clit, whispering things in her ear she  _ never _ would have expected.

“You’re someone special, Peebee. And you’re so beautiful.”

Ryder releases her nipple long enough to whisper too: “I’ve got you. We’ve got you.”

Peebee believes it. To have not one, but two separate people care about her this much… and to trust them…

She closes her eyes and reaches out. She wants to show them she feels the same. She  _ cares, _ deeply, and even though it frightens her, it’s okay, because it’s Ryder. And it’s Vetra. And she knows them—knows they won’t take one look at what’s in her mind and run.

When her eyes open again, they’re black. She gasps, pulling them both in.

The meld is… quieter than she expects. She’d braced herself for a torrent of thoughts from two different places, but instead, as they float among the stars, it’s peaceful. Calm.

“It’s so quiet,” Ryder whispers. She’s got a look of wonder on her face, the same look she gets whenever she discovers something new and beautiful.

“But nice,” Vetra says. She’s amazed too. Somehow, Peebee knows she hasn’t done this with the other asari she’s been with.

Peebee smiles, first at Ryder, then at Vetra. “This is all ours now.”

Ryder kisses her, and Vetra starts stroking her again, and soon, Peebee is a swirling nebula of feelings. She doesn’t know where they start or end, but it doesn’t matter. She feels loved. It’s new and exciting and comforting and familiar.

To love and be loved. It’s the best discovery she’s made in her entire life.

***

**_Vetra_ **

“It might not always be like this,” Vetra says as she lies exhausted between the two of them. She isn’t sure how she ended up in the middle, with Ryder cuddled up against her left side and Peebee curled up on her right and her arms around both their shoulders. But she definitely doesn’t mind.

“Yeah,” Peebee mumbles against her chestplate. “I know. You and Ryder need your alone time. And me and Ryder need our alone time. And hey… after tonight, you and I will probably need some alone time too.”

“I’m fine with it,” Ryder says from somewhere in the crook of her throat. The human’s other hand is running up and down her stomach, stroking the places between her carapace. “Better than fine. This is already… so much more than I thought it would be. I didn’t even think I could get one girlfriend. But two? Who are also girlfriends with each other?”

Vetra chuckles. “Peebee and I aren’t girlfriends yet.”

Peebee looks up, almost hurt. “We’re not? Come on, Vee. I let you in my head and everything.”

“… because Peebee hasn’t asked me to be her girlfriend yet.”

Peebee gives an annoyed huff. “Fine. Vetra, will you be my girlfriend?”

“Please say yes,” Ryder adds, “because judging by tonight, I don’t think I can satisfy Peebee all by myself all the time.”

Ryder has a point. Peebee is insatiable—although Vetra doubts either of them will be complaining about it.

“Okay, okay. All three of us are a thing. Special someones…” She leans over to kiss the top of Ryder’s head, enjoying her silky hair. “… with strings.” She turns the other way and kisses the top of Peebee’s crest, breathing in her scent.

“It won’t be easy,” Peebee muses.

“We’ll probably fight,” Ryder adds.

“Or get hurt. Or hurt each other.”

“But it’ll be worth it,” Vetra insists. “At least, I hope it will.”

“You know what this means, right?” Peebee says, wiggling against Vetra’s side in excitement and dislodging the covers. “I have two dates to movie night!”

Vetra groans. She has no idea what the rest of the crew will say… but part of her also doesn’t care. Partially because Ryder has started kissing down her chest toward her stomach.

Peebee joins her, shifting up to plant a kiss on her lips while Ryder ducks between her legs, holding onto the spurs on the backs of her calves.

Okay. So, apparently they aren’t done for the night after all.

**

**_Ryder_ **

She has to be the luckiest girl in the galaxy.

Beside her is Vetra, one lean arm draped around her shoulders, chin resting on top of her head as they watch… god, Ryder doesn’t even remember. She’s too content to focus on the holodrama playing out in front of her.

In her lap—stretched across  _ both _ their laps—is Peebee, who has already fallen asleep (probably because of too much popcorn and the very, very delicious wine Doctor Lexi had requested). She’s snoring lightly, and Vetra is absentmindedly stroking her crest with a single claw.

Meanwhile, Ryder’s hand has found a place in the tuck of Peebee’s waist, right above the curve of her hip.

Sure, there had been a few stares. A few raised eyebrows. But for the most part, the crew seems happy for them. They actually approve, which is the icing on top of a very delicious cake.

Ryder grins. She can’t wait to head back to the Nexus after this and walk into the Hyperion’s cryobay with  _ two _ beautiful aliens on her arm. Her brother is absolutely going to flip his shit.

 

**Fin**


End file.
